Owner of Prizma Transportation Halis Karaca, We Are An Important Part Of The Turkish Economy

“THE THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES CROSS THE BOUNDARIES, THEIR BURDEN IS ON THE TURKISH SHIPMENT”

Referring to the visa problem, which is one of the important issues of the international logistics sector, and also the driver problem, Karaca said that; “The driver is waiting for a visa, they have not made a trip for a month and a half. I also had to pay insurance. This harms the Turkish economy. We are an important part of the Turkish economy.”

Noting that they were founded in 2004 and received a certificate of authorization in 2005, Karaca said about the company that; “We work for the Balkan countries, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro. In 2007, we established a company in Slovenia. We do not provide service outside of these countries. We serve with our trucks with Turkish and Slovenian license plates. We have 24 trucks and trailers with Turkish and Slovenian plates. We usually carry dry cargo. Sometimes we have refrigerated jobs, since we don't have a frigo, we get the vehicles from other transporters. We have been carrying Beko and Arçelik products to Bosnia and Herzegovina for about 10-12 years.”

“We Created a Good Image in the Market and We Survived”

Stating that there are advantages to using a vehicle with Slovenian license plates, Karaca stated that there are advantages especially in terms of documents. Karaca said that; “We do not pay tolls in EU countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, and highways are more convenient. For example, because it is a small country, our bureaucracy takes a very short time. These are our advantages that we do not expect in the documents. The main purpose of having our company in Slovenia is that we want to have a foot there as well. We thought of it more as a transfer center. We bring the goods from Europe there and then to Turkey. We have warehouses and our own offices in Slovenia.”

“The Thousands of Refugees Cross the Borders, Their Burden Is On The Turkish Transporter”

Underlining that Turkish transporters face serious penalties abroad, Karaca said that; “We face serious penalties in Slovenia and Serbia. They know that Prizma Nakliyat has a Turkish owner. The punishment we faced is not seen anywere. Even though we are not guilty of any crime, thousands of refugees cross the borders and their burden is on the Turkish transporter.”

“The Driver Is Waiting for Visa”

Talking about the problems they experienced, Karaca stated that the drivers had visa problems and that more officials should be contacted to solve the problem. Regarding the issue, Karaca said that; “We must be united for a solution. UND is working on it but needs to do more. We need to talk to more officials and explain our problem more. The driver is waiting for a visa. The driver did not travel for a month and a half; I also had to pay insurance. This harms the Turkish economy. We are an important part of the Turkish economy. The faster the goods go, the more new orders will come to Turkey and our exports will increase. Another problem is Kapikule. It's a problem that has been solved for years. It partially resolves but reappears. The distance between Serbia's capital Belgrade and Istanbul is a thousand kilometers, and my vehicle sometimes cannot arrive in 5-6 days. From here, people go to Antalya a thousand kilometers in 10 hours. We are going to Belgrade in five days. The efficiency of the doors is very low. The work done on the doors had an impact; but it is insufficient. We can't tell the customer our problem, he says, 'I want my goods'. We do not say that nothing is being done, but it is insufficient. Logistics is very important for a country. No matter how much the producer produces, it is our duty to deliver the goods to the buyer on time. We have to protect it.”

“There Is No Driver Left In The Market”

Drawing attention to two important problems of the sector, Karaca said regarding training and driver needs that; “Training is very important. Logistics schools have just started coordination with us. We see that the students who come to us have deficiencies. They don't know foreign languages, that's our weaness. We also have a driver problem. In Kapıkule, the driver sleeps in the vehicle for 3-4 days. Therefore, this job is no longer a popular profession. We are thinking about who will drive the vehicles after the current drivers leave. We look forward to drivers and vehicles. There are no drivers left in the market. Countries such as Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not like Europe, of course, the customs of each country are different. Your vehicle gets stuck at customs for a day or two for no reason.”

“We Need to Be More United”

Expressing the opinion that a lot of innovations should be made for sector problems, Karaca said that;: “They will listen to thousands of transporters like me. We need to be more united. We have only one association. It doesn't matter the current management or the new management, it needs to solve the problems. He will meet with the necessary authorities; It will also hold international talks. None of us can solve the problem alone. We are in a very important industry. It is not possible for me or my friends to go to the President alone. UND has to do this. Our common problems should be presented to the necessary Ministries and finally to the President. It is always talked about, but we want a result.”

“We Need to Increase the Efficiency Coefficient”

Expressing that Turkey has a young population and strong infrastructure and that the educated manpower is also very important, Karaca said following in this regard: “Instead of a thousand graduates in logistics faculties, they should give a hundred well-equipped graduates. Our population is young and working, but they need to work efficiently. We need to increase the efficiency coefficient.”